Hello! I’ve been freaking out about college decisions, so I would like to share my stats, essays, etc for each school in the hopes that you all can share your thoughts.
Stats:
SAT I: 1600 superscored (1560 without)
SAT II: 800 Physics, 780 Biology, 800 Math II, 800 Chemistry.
AP Scores: 16 5s (all science and math), 2 4s, 2 3s (21 total passed)
Unweighted GPA: 3.98/4.0 (one B in freshman year :P)
Weighted GPA: ~5.45/6.0
Class Rank: 2/870
Senior Year Schedule: I live close to a major university, so I’m taking all my classes there. Calculus 3, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Organic Chemistry I & II, Physical Chemistry I & II, General Microbiology, Immunology, Ecology, Physics with Calculus III, and Inorganic chemistry. These are college Sophomore and Junior level classes, with the exception of Inorganic, which is senior level.
ECs (weakest): Quiz Bowl (1st place in regionals), Science Olympiad (A few district and state medals), A few service clubs. In addition, I am conducting research with a professor at my university who is a Hopkins Alumnus. ~250 hours of community service
Essays:
Common app: 8/10, talked very passionately about chemistry and why it inspires me.
Northwestern: 8/10. Pretty good, pretty personal, geeked out a bit, etc. Nothing extraordinary
Hopkins: 9/10. I liked it a lot, I think it says quite a bit about me and why I’m motivated, I talked about meeting a new group of friends since all my classes are dual enrollment.
UF: 7/10. Very well written, but the subject wasn’t great (about hardworking friend who inspired me, rather than about me)
Brown: 8/10, pretty well-written, none of my essays were beautiful but they did have a lot of insight
Harvard: 5/10. I started them at 9:30 on January 1st, so…
Columbia: 7/10. Good but not great, well-written and I was honest but said some pretty dopey things.
Dartmouth: 8/10, Definitely some good stuff in there, wrote about my love for cooking.
UC Berkeley: 9/10, very good and unique, but not absolutely brilliant enough to be a 10.
WashU: Just used my common app essay.
Rec Letters: The ones I saw were pretty decent, nothing too extraordinary.
Other:
Intended Major: Chemistry
Gender: Male
Race: White
School type: Large, Public
Overall, I think my academics are strong, but I’m not sure if I’ve gotten to the point of unbalanced. UF is probably my safety, but I’m pretty unsure of everything else.
Thanks so much!